How Chiropractic Care Can Help During Pregnancy

How Chiropractic Care Can Help During Pregnancy

Are you expecting a baby? Did you know that pregnancy chiropractic care can help make your labour easier, faster and more comfortable?

It’s true – regular visits to a qualified chiropractor during pregnancy can lead to a reduction in labour time!

With a series of gentle adjustments, an experienced chiropractor like Wellness Chiropractic in Prahran can help create balance throughout your body and pelvis, and prepare it for an optimal birthing experience.

We know how overwhelming it can be preparing for birth, however there are many things you can do to prepare your body so that you have more confidence and control about what lies ahead.  Ensuring your hips, pelvis and lower back are moving well can mean less pain and a smoother arrival for your little one. 

Chiropractic care during pregnancy

Many physical and emotional changes can be eased with chiropractic care during pregnancy. By maintaining regular spinal adjustments from an experienced chiropractor, soon-to-be mothers may experience improved comfort, increased mobility and overall wellness throughout their journey to parenthood.

Your body undergoes numerous changes during pregnancy to adapt to a growing baby.

The hormone relaxin is released during pregnancy, which relaxes the joints and makes labour and birth easier. Ligaments can loosen to a point that the joints they support can become structurally unstable, resulting in pain.

Other factors that can contribute to spinal misalignment and pain during pregnancy include:

  • Carrying extra weight. 
  • The abdominal muscles are under increased load.
  • The curve in your lower back is emphasised.

Pregnancy chiropractic care keeps the spine working well, which can be beneficial to ensure a more comfortable pregnancy. 

Shorten labour times with chiropractic care

Pregnant women who receive chiropractic care have 25% to 31% shorter labour times.

When your pelvis is out of alignment, the space available to your growing baby is reduced. This can also limit the baby’s movements, which can result in a poorer birth presentation, or less than ideal position for labour.

Better pelvic alignment supports the baby to descend into the birth canal and present in a more optimal position for birth.

When your baby moves out of this optimal birthing position, it may cause your labour to take longer and require more interventions.

Going to the chiropractor while pregnant reduces the likelihood of difficult labour. Chiropractors use various chiropractic techniques to alleviate anxiety, stress, and back and hip pain before labour.

The Webster Technique is particularly useful for reducing labour time. It aids in the relaxation of joints, ligaments, muscles, and the brain. This encourages different body parts to work together, making delivery easier.

Further Benefits of Pregnancy Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care during pregnancy provides an array of benefits and is also incredibly safe.

With prenatal chiropractic care, you can keep your spine and joints working well. This assists women to avoid back, neck, and shoulder pain as their baby grows.

Women can rest assured knowing that chiropractic treatments are designed to alleviate their discomfort while providing a secure experience for both mother and baby throughout the entire process.

  • Alleviate nausea and morning sickness

Chiropractic care can help with nausea and morning sickness symptoms by assisting with liver and gut function, supporting the parasympathetic nervous system, and supporting the hormonal system. This all works to calm the body.

  • Pain relief

A chiropractor will work on the spine, muscles, joints and ligaments, to improve the function and stability of the pelvis.  This also ensures the lower back, neck and shoulders are moving well, and results in decreased headache symptoms or joint pain in other areas of the body.

  • Reposition the baby

Suppose the baby doesn’t have enough room or is presenting in the breech position. In that case, we’ll work on pelvic alignment and the ligaments and muscles in the pelvic region to reduce any intrauterine constraint, allowing for a more optimal birthing position. This can allow the baby to move down and give them more space.

It is typically suggested to see a chiropractor once a week during the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy if you are in a breech position.

  • Avoid a caesarean section

According to the Australian Institute of Health, in 2020, 37% of all women giving birth in Australia had a caesarean section.

If your baby is in the wrong position, your doctor may advise you to have a caesarian section.

Prenatal chiropractic adjustments can keep your body aligned throughout your pregnancy. This gives your baby plenty of space to move and grow, especially when the time comes for them to be born. 

Final thoughts on reducing labour time with chiropractic care

Chiropractic evaluation and treatment during pregnancy is considered a safe and effective means of treating common musculoskeletal symptoms that affect pregnant patients.

Pregnancy chiropractic treatment can help improve posture, reduce back pain, and relieve sciatica. It also helps to prepare the body for labour and delivery by correcting any imbalances that could be exacerbated during labour.

As always, the safety of the mother and baby should be the primary concern; therefore, it is essential to find a chiropractor who is knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with pregnant women.

Book an appointment with Wellness Chiropractic for customised chiropractic care and treatment plan!

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